Film Review- Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The third and final Michael Bay Transformers film is upon us and it's set to be the biggest blockbuster hit of the summer. Filled with huge explosions, talking robots, and a hottie or two, Transformers: Dark of the Moon certainly delivers; turn on your engines, it's going to be quite a ride.

Starting off a few years after the last film, the story opens by delving into the life of ever-cautious Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf). With the Autobots, in effect the good guys, fighting off the evil Decepticons, Sam is left to fend for himself as he tries to find a job in the present unwelcoming economy while juggle a relationship with his new girlfriend Carley Miller (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley). A nice wink to modern times, this narrative shifts quickly when an ancient craft from the robot homeworld is found on the moon. While recovering a number of important artifacts, the Autobots discover a fellow leader called Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy) who changes the playing field completely.

An interesting story, one that surpasses the second transformers film by a mile, it is however not without its faults. While trying to address modern problems, the writers formed two very distinctive story lines: the first clashing quite directly with the secondary part of the film. This is only ancillary to some of the character flaws exhibited by old players, especially the chief baddy Megatron (Hugo Weaving). Fallen all too many times, the great villain appears as a frail shadow, a king among animals rather than machines. How such a drastic transformation could have occurred to a leader of millions is questionable.

While all these problems are important, there is nothing that can overshadow the god-awful acting of Ms Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. After the first two transformers films, nobody was lining up to defend Megan Fox’s acting, yet she was Oscar worthy compared to her replacement. While at times fantastic to look at, the moment she opens her mouth simply takes it all away. Looking more like a clueless damsel than a strong heroin, thank goodness she didn’t have much to say.

However, it wasn’t all-bad. The action scenes were crisp and the graphics certainly did not disappoint. Explosions were carefully timed and worked beautifully within the huge robot battles. A personal favorite moment was when actor Leonard Nimoy reprised his role in Star Trek II through a singular unforgettable line: "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Let us not forget that it’s a blockbuster mega-film and not an intellectual narrative that was supposed to challenge us.

Where the film shines brightest is in the car selection. Not limited to American vehicles like in the past two films, this one definitely has some mighty machines. One worthy of noting is the return of the Chevrolet Camaro which transforms into everyone’s favorite Autobot called Bumblebee. One evil baddy came in the shape of the futuristic Chevrolet Corvette Stringray, and the film even boasted a gorgeous Ferrari 458 Italia. With the odd NASCAR and Mercedes, the car list was truly something to admire.

Enjoyable for the most part, it was a great way to end the series. While waiting for it to come out on Blu-ray or DVD would be advised, it’s a film to watch out for.

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Mike has been in love with cars for as long as he could remember. At the age of 4, gazing out of his parents flat, he could already name most of the car makes and models. He's currently completing a law degree but still loves everything about cars and hopes to have a large collection one day. When he's not writing for a number of journalistic outlets, he enjoys reading, watching films, and relaxing by playing on his guitar.